Summertime Love
by Lady-Rinoa14
Summary: COMPLETE. 1 x R. Canon. Heero arranges Relena's vacation that she's going to remember forever.
1. Summer Heat

**Summertime Love**

"_This summer that I'll spend with you is going to be twice as hot!  
Feel my heart__  
__The unending, scorching heat__  
__Feel the eternal rhythm__  
__My soul~__"_

_Summer Time Love by EXILE_

* * *

~o~

Relena Darlian had no idea how this came about. Just that, one minute she was supposed to ride in her car to go to work. And in another minute a Preventer agent stood in front of her and informed her that there was a change in her schedule. A big change, to be exact. Like, all of her meetings for the day had been cancelled? No friggin' way. When she refused to believe such a thing, her Prussian-blue-eyed Preventer agent pulled her back into the house and instructed her to pack her things. Change of schedule was in order. No questions asked.

In the next minute, she found herself back in the car, then later on in a plane flying off to somewhere, and finally being chauffeured in front of a huge white, two-storey mansion which had a terrific view of the beach filled with people sunbathing, playing beach volleyball, and swimming in the open sea. As she stepped out of the car, bewildered at the location, she recognized someone coming out of the mansion's sturdy doors.

"Princess!" called Duo Maxwell, who was waving with a wide smile on his face, and was wearing a white shirt, a pair of gym shorts, and slippers. He gave her a tight hug as soon as he approached her. "Glad that you made it. You look great as always."

Relena took a quick inventory of her white tank top, pink skirt, and flip-flops. Heero wasn't kidding when he told her to change into something far less formal and much fitting for summer. "It's nice to see you, Duo." She gave him a suspicious grin. "What's all this about? What are _you _doing here? Did I miss an occasion?"

Duo gave a sheepish grin and scratched his head. "A little get-together is kinda nice, don't you think?" He turned his attention to the Preventer who now stood by the Vice Foreign Minister, carrying two suitcases and a duffel bag. "Right, Heero?"

Heero Yuy, who's wearing a white flannel shirt and linen pants, motioned to the mansion with his head. "Head inside."

"It's nice to see you, too, man," Duo chuckled, stood beside Relena, and bent his arm. "Shall we, Princess?"

Relena giggled and looped her arm around Duo's and headed inside.

* * *

~o~

"This is beautiful, Quatre," Relena remarked as she sipped her tea. Across the coffee table sat the owner of the mansion, former Gundam Pilot, and one of her trusted friends, Quatre Raberba Winner. Apparently, it wasn't only Duo who was a part of her changed schedule. And she was not complaining at all. They were in the balcony of the second floor, which overlooked the beach. The sun was high, the sky an azure blue, and the breeze warm. How long had she not seen the sun like this? Nor have felt the warm breeze fan her cheeks?

"My family used to regularly spend summer here in this rest house when we were kids. It's about time at least one of us got to take a break from the real world and just relaxed," answered Quatre. It had already been seven years since the Eve Wars and Quatre took over his father's company, which was predominantly active in the Colonies. Sometimes he would drop by her office or table whenever they met in an Earth Sphere-wide conference, but other than that they hardly saw each other.

Relena smiled, taking note of the young heir's features. Nothing seemed to have changed in Quatre's features, his handsome face still exuded the cheerful and youthful glow like he had already possessed when they met seven years ago. "You're handling it well, though. You look fine."

"Well because I'm not as busy as you." He stretched his arms and folded them behind his head. "But business is going well. Still, when Duo mentioned something about having a short break with friends, I'm all up for it. How about you? And Heero?"

"The Terraforming project is progressing. It's slow, but progressing. And Heero, well, he's still him."

"I bet." Quatre chuckled. "The most protective Preventer in the Earth Sphere."

Relena rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."

Quatre was about to reply when Duo's voice echoed all the way from the kitchen downstairs. "Heeeey, lunch is ready! Hilde cooked her specialty!"

Quatre and Relena looked at each other. "And Duo is still Duo." Some things really do never change.

* * *

~o~

"So how's Trowa doing?" asked Duo as he helped himself with a half-sliced watermelon.

"He has a circus tour so he couldn't make it today. He said to give his regards to everyone," answered Quatre, who sat beside the former Deathscythe pilot, as he took another slice of watermelon from the platter at the center of the table while the househelpers cleared the rest of the dishes after their scrumptious lunch.

Duo spit out a couple of watermelon seeds. "Good to know he's doing well. Their shows have always been sold-out. And I bet Wufei's still working his ass off at the headquarters."

"Ha! Stubborn as always according to Miss Sally. But still a good follower," Quatre added, waving at a househelper to get his dish. He looked around the dining area, making sure that Hilde and Relena were still in their bedrooms, changing their clothes. He then faced Heero, who was sitting in front of him, drinking his tea. "It's a good thing that you managed to clear Miss Relena's schedule today. She's all over the Earth Sphere. One minute she's in Earth and the on the same day she's already flying for the Colonies. And even Mars."

"She needs this." Heero brought down the cup on its saucer.

"Lady Une must have had scrambled a bit to adjust these, too."

Heero nodded. "She was hesitant at first, but agreed later on."

"That's Heero for you. If there's anyone in the world who cares the most about the Vice Foreign Minister's welfare, it's none other than Heero," said Duo in between mouthfuls of watermelon. "It's been years though and he's yet to make an actual move consideri-"

"Who's supposed to make an actual move on who?" Hilde interjected as she stormed into the room, and Duo choked on his watermelon as Heero glared at him.

Quatre handed over a glass water to Duo, laughing together with Hilde as he did so.

Wiping the fruit's residue with his shirt, he began, "Great timing, Hilde. Actually we were talking abou-" Duo looked up at the dark-haired female, and his jaw dropped. Sure he had already spent nights living under the same roof with Hilde, but never had he seen her in a bikini. And a baby blue one at that.

Fully aware and feeling confident with the way Duo had looked at her; Hilde put her hand on Duo's chin and closed his gaping mouth. "You were saying?"

Duo shook his head, hard, and grinned from ear to ear. "I was just about to say how much I am enjoying summer right now."

Satisfied with his answer, Hilde smirked and let go of his chin. "Yeah and we should be enjoying. Thus, Miss Relena and I will just take a stroll at the beach."

Duo frowned. "Wearing only that?"

Hilde raised an eyebrow. "Good guess, Einstein."

"Smart mouth. I'm coming with you."

"Back off. How are we going to pick up hot guys if you're tailing us?"

"You're on a man-hunt? What if you land yourself a maniac, or worse the Vice Foreign Minister's life can be put to danger?"

"I thought the Maganacs are guarding the whole area?"

"That's not the point."

Quatre and Heero watched the two bicker back and forth until Relena's voice echoed into the room. "Hey, Hilde. Let's go?"

Four pairs of eyes turned to the doorway which separated the dining room and living room, where the Vice Foreign Minister stood wearing a pink bikini. Once again, Duo's jaw dropped; Quatre smiled with wholesome appreciation, while Hilde smirked, knowing perfectly well at how Heero caught his breath for a second, his eyes never leaving Relena's.

Relena felt her cheeks flush at the attention. It was her first time to wear such a thing. Heck, it was probably her first time to ever go to the beach. Not since she was about five years old when her parents still had the luxury of time to take vacations. Did she look okay? Was it too revealing? What did Heero think?

Slowly turning to look at her closest Preventer agent, Relena felt the room get even hotter - or was it just the summer heat - as she locked eyes with Heero's sharp, penetrating ones, despite his nonchalant casual sipping of tea.

It was Duo who broke the awkward silence. "Nice, Princess."

Relena blushed at the compliment, and uttered a grateful reply to her friend, when Heero stood up. When he did, it was only when Relena noticed that his flannel shirt was completely unbuttoned, hence giving a leeway to view his perfectly sculpted torso, which was complemented with a solid eight-pack. It couldn't possibly get any hotter in the room. Or so she thought until Heero walked towards her.

Duo and Hilde continued fighting in the room, arguing the good security in the premises and how they were capable of defending themselves, while Quatre excused himself to go to his room for a nap, obviously enjoying the riot in his rest house.

When Heero stood in front of Relena, she felt a bit self-conscious as his eyes settled on her face, so she looked away only to see the couple bickering, which bordered on playfulness. As much as how "serious" their banter sounded like, they were clearly seen suppressing their smiles and enjoying it even. They looked cute together, if she may so. It was then when Relena wondered on who confessed first to whom. If it were Hilde, then maybe, just maybe she can ask how she can also have the guts to confess what she felt towards a certain someone. A certain Preventer. A certain attractive male who was making her hard to breathe right now. She wanted to go out with Hilde now, just to be anywhere without Heero so she can have her regular supply of oxygen back. But it seemed that it will take long before she can remove Hilde with Duo.

"You still want to go?" His voice snapped her out of ogling. Relena turned to him and saw him still looking at her, his eyes unreadable. Only that, his hand was raised, palm up, and patiently waiting.

Taking one last look at the bickering couple before turning back to Heero, Relena smiled. _With you? _"Always," she answered, lifting her hand and accepting his proffered one.

* * *

~o~

**Author's Note:**

Hi all! So I'm back after a long time. A year, perhaps? So yeah, this is my offering for the summer season and I hope you guys liked it so far. I don't plan to make this long. This will be just short. Really short. Like 2-3 chapters worth? I'm not sure yet. All I know is that this will be short and sweet. :D Why? 'Cause I have anothe story coming up… probably. Haha. But really, I just missed writin and I'm wondering if th fans are still around. :) I hope you guys are. :)

Alright, until the next chapter! Ja! :D


	2. Summer Melancholy

**Chapter 2: Melancholy of Summer**

"_Embraced by the summer melancholy, I forgot to sleep__  
__Resting my chin on my hands, I stare at the waves lapping at the sand__  
__You smile at me in the rustling breeze__  
__I chased after the ghost of those days past__"_

_~Natsu no Yuutsu (Melancholy of Summer) [time to say goodbye] by L'Arc~en~Ciel~_

* * *

~o~

On regular days, Relena can always be seen in her office and in conferences and summits wearing her signature suit. It is a rare occurrence to see her wear anything otherwise, aside from occasional social gatherings, wherein she'd turn heads when she wears dresses.

But this day was not a regular day. They were not in a conference, in a formal setting, where she'd cover her whole body with a suit. Nor were they surrounded by people in formal suits, minding their own good manners. Hence, preventer agent Heero Yuy had his senses on heightened alert, glaring at all those they passed by, ready to jump at anyone who dared take a step further. He wanted to wipe the grins from every man's face who had stopped putting on their sunblock lotions on and their beach volleyball playing, when he and Relena passed by. He especially did not like how they they were looking at _her._ Especially that blonde on their right who just licked his lips. Heero wanted to tackle him. That can be very doable, if only his companion had not been flashing her shy, little smile in addition to her distracting outfit that revealed a lot of skin. Emphasis on a lot.

Relena insisted that they go around despite arriving on the island a couple of hours earlier. The sun was still at its highest, complementing the bluest sky, and bringing about a scorching heat to everything beneath it. The pacifist princess walked so freely, oblivious to the stares that she'd been receiving from all the other men around, like there was nothing to worry about in this world – not even the upcoming budget hearing at the Senate soon. Some people may have recognized her and so she smiled back at them. After all, image is everything in politics. But what irked the Preventer agent was how the men reacted to her smiles with their shit-eating grins. Never mind the girls who also kept giggling when he gave them a side-glance. He did not even want to go on about what they could be possibly thinking. On the flip side, fortunately for him, everybody who dared look at Relena's hand ended up frowning, and is obviously disappointed. _That_ caused his lip to curve up a bit.

He still held her hand, telling himself that it was so he could not lose sight of her in this crowded area. It was for her protection and nothing more. This wasn't the first time they held hands after all. That privilege happened when they danced years ago in St. Gabriel. That was a moment in time when they were just fifteen years old just when the Eve Wars was starting. She invited him then. He held her close that night, keeping her at a distance in which he can easily kill her. Then they were interrupted. He wasted no time in getting to his mobile suit, thinking that they were after him when it was the other way around. Later that evening, in the end, he ended up saving her. And he had no idea why. Even now. He also had no idea why that memory was making him uncomfortable down there.

Relena did not make any attempt to remove her hand from his either. Despite stopping once in a while to pick up seashells of various colors and sizes, she still kept holding on to him. Their hands remained entwined even when he bought coconut juice for her, at her request and insisted that she'd pay him back later, from a nearby store that looked like a nipa hut.

"Everybody's all over the place," she said after taking a sip of her juice, and looked around. It was true, almost every spot on the beach had people sunbathing, playing, eating, and so much more. When was the last time she had seen a crowd like this? She looked at the crystalline sea, wherein a couple of guys were surfing on a five-foot wave. She giggled.

For the first time that afternoon Heero looked at her –truly looked at her– and not just him side glancing her every once in a while a couple of minutes ago. She looked so flushed, her cheeks so pink that it was almost reddening. He had no idea if it was due to the sun; did she even put on sunblock? Or was there was a particular moment that made her cheeks like that?

After sipping on her juice, she noticed Heero staring at her with unreadable eyes. "Oh. I'm just wondering what would have happened if you landed on _this _beach rather than the one in Japan back then.I bet you'd give everyone here quite a scare." She shrugged. "We'd probably not meet at all, right? At least face-to-face."

Given the nature of their pasts, it would be impossible for them to not be dragged into the war. Even if they had not met that night, Relena will still restore the Sanc Kingdom and eventually become Queen of the World, and Heero will still be the Perfect Soldier fighting for the Colonies. They'd be there, fighting on their own stages, only knowing each other by name as seen in monitors, though they knew deep inside that they would not have the drive to move further with their goals without each other's' ideals and influence.

"Probably." Heero also looked at the sea. "But it happened."

"It did. That's why we're here." _Together._

Heero turned to look at her straight in the eyes. "I wouldn't have it any another way around."

* * *

~o~

When the two have returned to the rest house, Quatre, Duo, and Hilde were already outside and a volleyball net had been set up. Duo was with Hilde, and Quatre was on the other side. Upon seeing Heero and Relena, they called them to play beach volleyball. Quatre paired up with Relena, and Hilde with Duo. Heero stayed beneath one of the five oversized umbrellas firmly planted into the sand, each shielding a beach seat vector as he stoically kept watch.

Their game went on for hours. At one point, Quatre dove to save the ball from Duo's spike, but failed miserably. They all burst into laughter at the young heir's error and as he lied down his head on his outstretched arm on the sand. Soon it was Hilde's turn to serve the ball, which turned to be too hard and sent the ball flying past Quatre and Relena. It was on Relena's side so she immediately ran after it. As the ball was slowing down, Relena was about to grab it when a couple of hands beat her to it. Relena instantly looked up to a tall, green-eyed blonde, who was wearing boxer shorts, and was smiling down at her.

"Hi," the stranger began, his bangs hanging just over his eyes.

"Hi."

"My name is Nathan."

Relena sheepishly smiled, definitely not answering back with her name. "Hello, Nathan." She eyed the ball, which was still in his hands.

"May I have your name in exchange for this?" And once more he flashed his smile, it was a smile that reeked off too much confidence.

Relena shrugged and considered it for a minute. How can he be of any harm? "I'm Rele-"

A swift motion then passed by Relena, which came from behind her and made a beeline towards the blonde. A disgruntled curse erupted from Nathan before Relena can finish her introduction. Nathan let one of his hands come up on his head where the object hit him.

"Shit." His vision swam and focused on a Mikasa volleyball that rolled by his feet and into the sea.

"Oh my God. Are you alright?"

Clutching his head with one hand, and holding up his other hand, he answered, "Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Will just have to lie down for a while. Damn teenagers don't know how to play volleyball right." He handed Relena the ball that he was holding. "I hope I'll see you around again, beautiful." Flashing a smile once more, he walked away.

Relena turned around to her friends, and found that they were feigning to pretend that they had been watching all along. Except for Heero who was looking straight at her, a silent reprimand stretching between them.

* * *

~o~

It was Duo, Quatre, and Hilde's turn to walk around the beach, with Duo muttering he wanted to try surfing. Relena insisted that she'd just rest for a while on one of the beach chairs. And Heero, well of course, stayed with her. He sat on the beach chair beside her and brought out a book by Tom Clancy.

The moment Relena's back hit the seat, a prickling sensation emanated from her back. Her sunblock lotion was probably wearing off. Grabbing a bottle of sunblock underneath the seat, she squeezed some onto her palm and attempted to spread it out on her back. But it only reached up to the back of her shoulders. Turning to her right, Heero was still reading. Should she ask him? Would it be okay for him? Would it be okay for _her _if Heero can get to touch a part of her aside from her hands? Just the thought brought warmth to her cheeks, and she was truly hoping that she was not blushing. But her back still hurt.

"Um," Relena started.

Heero turned to her, patiently waiting for what she had to say.

"Can you…" Silence. "Can you apply some of this," she showed him the bottle of sunblock lotion. "On my back? I think it's wearing off. It's getting sore." She tried to look at anywhere but him.

For a minute, there was silence and Relena already considered rejection. But then she heard his book close and he was standing next to her as she remained seated, her legs stretched out in front. He took the bottle from her hand, while she scooted forward and gathered her hair to lay on one side, over her right shoulder, exposing her neck and shoulders on the left.

Was it her imagination or did Heero just inhale sharply?

Nervous, but anticipating, Relena closed her eyes and fought the spark of electricity that seemed to flow on every nerve of her body when his hands gently slid against her shoulder. Warm liquid was spread against her skin as her Preventer agent applied much pressure afterwards, massaging her tense muscles in the area. It felt good. His hands felt good on her. She whimpered at his ministration, indicating at how much she was enjoying and appreciating this. His hands slid lower now at the small of her back, in which she had to bend to the front a bit more to give him better access to the area.

Soft. Heero was positive that he had not held anything as soft and smooth as Relena's skin. It was like melting under his touch. He massaged her back, rather than just merely applying liquid on, after feeling the tense muscles on her back. This should be just him granting her favor, but he was suddenly feeling uncomfortable down there… again. And it totally did not help when Relena's whimpers of approval at what he was doing made all his blood all go down, down, down. He can't keep this up any longer the more he also thought about that he was the first man to ever touch this delicate part of her. What was wrong with him? He should not be having these thoughts at all, can't he?

Voices from a distance indicated their friends' return. It was like the spell had been broken in an instant, and Heero immediately pulled away and walked out, leaving the lotion unfinished on Relena's back. Relena sat there, gawking at where Heero just turned to, and then to their smiling friends, who had just arrived and had no idea of what just transpired.

What the hell just happened?

Hilde continued putting lotion on her back instead, after giving a shrug at where Heero went, carefully leaving out their interaction beforehand. After resting for a while, Relena quietly stood so as not to disturb her friends who were lounging at the beach seats beside her. Quatre was napping on his front, Duo had a magazine over his face as he snoozed, and Hilde was lying down comfortably with sunglasses on.

It was dusk already. Orange and violet tinged the skies, but the number of people on the shore had not dwindled one bit. Relena walked around, wondering where Heero went and regarding his sudden reaction earlier. Was he embarrassed to be caught by their friends? Was it because of her? She felt dehydrated after a few minutes and decided to grab a drink by the bar. Turning to a corner, Relena stopped in her tracks.

There he was. Back against the trunk of a palm tree and was dripping wet. He had shed off his shirt, his bare chest well-sculpted and firm. And his arms… his arms were being gripped by a woman's manicured hands. Relena felt blood drain from her place as a skinny brunette in her floral bikini grip Heero's arms, holding on to him for balance, as she tiptoed and placed her lips by his ears, whispering something like a secret. And she was also dripping wet. After a few seconds, Heero's hands went to his boxers and adjusted it. Relena flushed at the sight, seeing at how the woman affected him. Unable to stare any further, she turned her back on the sight, only to find herself crashing against the chest of someone.

She looked up, recognition flashing in her eyes. "Nathan."

The tall blonde from earlier smiled. "You remember."

"Are you fine now?"

"Yeah. Just downed a lot of painkillers. Can I get you a drink?"

Protocol swam in Relena's head, knowing that she should not spend her time alone with a stranger. But with what she witnessed tonight, she was willing to be in the company of someone who was actually interested in her, if only to distract her from what she was feeling; whatever it was. "Sure," she replied. "Not here though."

* * *

~o~

The sun had fully set, and stars dotted the night sky. Relena and Nathan chose to drink somewhere else, at a bar in a huge nipa hut-inspired structure. A reggae band was playing nearby and a bunch of teenagers were gathering up around a bonfire outside.

At their table, Relena was laughing at one of Nathan's jokes as he proceeded in refilling their glasses with wine.

"So," Nathan began, flashing his billion-dollar smile, and lifting his glass to his lips. "Are you dating anyone?"

Relena blinked a couple of times, dumbfounded at what she heard. Or thought she heard. She was not _that _drunk to have misheard it, right? "No," she answered, sipping the whole liquid in one go.

"It's hard to believe that a beautiful woman like you is not yet in a committed relationship."

Did he really not realize who she truly was? Or was he just like those apathetic people who had no idea who was running their government and even giving a damn in what happens to the Earth Sphere? Despite how good-looking and funny he was, that definitely scored negative points on her board. Nevertheless, he did look like he had no idea who she was, and was really curious about her relationship status. His expectant eyes glimmered, awaiting her response; she could clearly see them despite some of his bangs that hung over his eyes. She wanted to run her hands through that hair.

Feeling lightheaded, she shrugged. "It's not the right time yet."

Nathan smirked and leaned further into the table. Relena had to sit up straight just to avoid the closeness. Her eyes were starting to droop already and she fought it desperately to open. Just how much did she drink tonight? It shouldn't be that many, right?

"When will you know if it's the right time already?" He ran his hand over hers on the table. "What if the person you're meant to be with is already close to you?"

A low snort came from the pacifist. Yeah, right. She was not stupid to know that he was referring to, well, himself. But another man flashed in her mind. Relena had always hoped, if not expected, that Heero will see in her in a way like how she saw him. But a certain scenario earlier earlier was a big slap on her face, telling her to wake up to reality. Bitterness swelled up inside her as she filled her glass with wine. She lifted her hand to drink the warm liquid, to help her forget, at least for tonight, when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Relena."

That voice. Relena looked up to the attractive, but stoic man standing beside her, wearing a different set of white flannel shirt and boxer shorts.

She blinked, trying to focus on him. "Hi."

Nathan squeezed her other hand. "Do you know this guy?"

"Yeah." Relena flicked her wrist to remove Heero's hand, splashing a little amount of wine on her hand. "He works for me."

Something flashed in Heero's eyes and was gone before Relena can place what it was. "Let's go," answered Heero, removing the glass from Relena's hand and setting it down on the table. His eyes narrowed at the drinks on the table.. There were two half-full tequila bottles, an almost empty wine bottle, and about five fully-consumed beer bottles.

"Where?" asked Relena.

"Back to the house."

"Just one more drink."

"You already had so much to drink," he countered, setting his glare upon Nathan's.

Nathan let go of Relena's hand and stood up. "If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to go."

Despite being a bit shorter than the blonde, Heero was unfazed. "Back off."

"This is none of your business, pal."

"She _is _my business."

"Hey, hey, hey! No fighting, alright? No fighting." She placed her elbow on the table and laid her head on her palm. Her head felt heavy. "You know how I've been working hard just so we can all have such peach and quiet? It's okay, Nathan, I have to go now anyway."

"Are you sure about him?" asked Nathan, returning Heero's glare. "I can take you back to your place."

Relena nonchalantly motioned her hand to Heero. "Yeah, he's good at his job." Did Heero just hiss at her remark? Shrugging, Relena tried to stand, her legs were wobbly. "Thank you, Nathan, for the company."

"Anytime, beautiful." Nathan smiled at her, loving the way Relena acknowledged their time together, while she was being uncaring with the man beside her.

"I have to go now." She pointed a thumb at her left and rolled her eyes. "With him."

This time around, Heero faced her as Nathan gave a triumphant smile. "I'll see you again." He winked then took another shot before leaving a couple of bills on the table, and headed off on the opposite direction.

Relena stood and swiftly walked past Heero, stumbling as she did so. In an instant, Heero was holding her arm, which she twisted to get it off her. "Get off me," she spat.

"You're drunk."

"No I am not," Relena continued walking, her legs wobbling. What was his problem? He freaked out while touching her a few hours ago, but was welcoming another woman's touch against his skin on the next. Why was he being so concerned and touchy now? "I can walk myself home."

She took a few steps and yelped when strong arms swept her off her feet. Soon she found herself being carried like a princess, though she technically was born royalty. "Ack. Put me down!" Relena pushed against his chest just so he can put her down, to no avail. His chest was as hard as a rock. Eventually, Relena's effort turned to stale when her head felt light, her eyelids heavy, and everything was just spinning in her vision. "You don't have to do this."

"I don't want to fight," answered Heero, his gaze on her face.

"Me neither," Relena whispered and fell asleep.

The next thing Relena knew was that she was being deposited on the bed. Moonlight streaming into the room was the only source of illumination.

"Heero?" she asked, lying on her back, but trying to focus her vision on the figure standing by her bed.

"Hn."

"My head is spinning." Relena lifted a hand to her head.

"You drank a lot. It'll be better if you rest."

Relena felt that that was his cue to leave, but no, she had other things in mind. She sat up abruptly, doing her best not to throw up because her stomach was like doing flip-flops and her head was pounding. But she did not care. She kneeled in front of him on the bed so she was almost at his level. It only occurred to her that she was wearing one of her night dresses and only her underwear. Whoever got her into these fresh clothes would have to face her interrogations later. Or tomorrow.

Grinning, Relena lifted her hands and let them settle on his arms. "Heero, do you think I'm pretty?"

Relena could've sworn she saw him swallow. She wanted to run her hands on that Adam's apple. "Well?" She cocked her head to the side, and smiling.

"Rest, Relena."

"Answer me," she scooted much closer to him, her hands moving up to his shoulders. "Do you find me sexy?"

Where were all these questions coming from? Just when Relena started nuzzling his neck, he grabbed her wrists. "Stop this." That did the trick. It was as if she was snapped out of a trance, her eyes widened and she pulled away. He placed her hands back to her side, giving it a squeeze before saying, "Good night." And he was out the door.

Relena sat there, kneeling on the bed. Unbidden tears fell down her cheeks before she went under the covers and curled into a ball.

~o~

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I wanted this whole story to be light. But hey, I wanted a jealous Relena and a much jealous Heero. So yeah? :) Haha.

P.S.

English translation for L'Arc~en~Ciel's song is credited to megchan. :D


	3. Summer Dream

**Chapter 3: Summer Dream**

"_When the blue sky and ocean shine and overlap  
Oh baby the tears will dry, summer is smiling  
Someday I hope my feelings will reach you  
Fun is here forever, Summer Dream~"_

_~Summer Dream by Tohoshinki~_

* * *

~o~

It was warm. Relena removed the blanket, freeing herself from the sheets responsible for her already sweating back, to no avail. In fact the moment her sheets had been disentangled from her body, the more her skin warmed. She hated waking up like this. Lazily rolling on her back, she cocked her head to the right and slightly opened her eyes. She groaned and dragged her arm over her eyes when the bright, blinding sunlight greeted her as it passed through her window. She instantly regretted not pulling the curtains from its tied position at the sides last night.

Last night.

Relena tried to sit but was stalled; her head ached like she was like hit by a ball. She rubbed her forehead, brows furrowed, as yesterday's events came to her in a rush. In the process, her stomach felt queasy, not really sure if it was because of her too much alcohol consumption, the humiliating rejection because of her actions and Heero's response, or she was just plain hungry. Speaking of, _what time is it?_

The wall clock above the window noted 10:42 a.m. Damn. She overslept. After moving her fingers in circular motion a couple of times on her temples, she finally stood and fixed her queen-sized bed. Looking at herself in the full-body mirror on the opposite side of the bed beside the closet, she combed her hair and tried to ignore her swollen red eyes.

She couldn't recall the last time she cried herself to sleep. She was in all kinds of dizzy last night, but no matter how much her vision swayed and her head swam, she can unfortunately recall what she'd done, and the words that had come out of her mouth without consulting her brain first. Maybe what the elders were saying was right, that a drunken person has a sober heart. Or a broken one. Because she couldn't erase the image of Heero allowing another woman –a stranger no less- to touch him, when minutes before his hands were all over her. Heero's vague actions towards her for the past few years have been confusing her, and last night was her breaking point. But then again, he still looked for her last night, didn't he? What's up with that?

Preventer duties, she reminded herself. Yes. Right.

Drawing in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and looked back at herself at the mirror. Just one more day left for the weekend. Just one more day to laze around and enjoy the time with her friends. Friends. Right. She just had to pretend that nothing happened last night and try to enjoy as much in this vacation.

Making her way out of the room, she was about to go down the wide, winding staircase when she locked eyes with Heero who was a couple of steps below. He had a towel wrapped around his neck, and one of his hands was using one of the ends to dry his hair. And he had no shirt on. Relena felt her cheeks warm at the sight of his broad shoulders, chiselled arms, firm chest, and eight-pack. Save for some scratches and scars on hips and chest -remnants from the war- he was perfect.

She felt Heero equally looking at her. Right then and there, her goal of just "pretending that things didn't happen" melted in a puddle of goo as humiliation took over her. She had no idea how to begin explaining the stunt she just pulled last night. She had to get out of here and tried to take a few steps down.

"Good morning."

"Hn," Heero nodded. "The others are at the eatery. Breakfast buffet ends at 11:30 a.m. We can still make it if we hurry."

"Oh, okay." Relena answered. If the others were already out, why was Heero still around? "Have you already eaten?"

"No," Heero began ascending the stairs. "You can't be left here alone."

It was when Relena noticed that Heero's brow furrowed as he stared into her eyes. Oh damn, he can see the evidence that she had cried over him.

Feeling all too transparent for him, she turned back towards her room, already thinking about how she'd put on her sunblock without needing his help. "Just give me a few minutes to freshen up, then we'll go."

* * *

~o~

It took her 15 minutes to quickly wash herself and wear a new set of bikini, a red one. Her companion, on the other hand, had not bothered covering the upper half of his body and she was fully aware of how women's heads turned when he passed them by.

The sun was already high up in the sky against the backdrop of an azure sky. The weather was perfect like yesterday. Heero and Relena had been walking side by side towards the eatery, careful about not touching each other. Along the way, they noticed huge numbers of people on the beach shore, as if people from yesterday had not left there at all. Children in their tiny swimsuits built sand castles with their toy pails and shovels, while others buried their fathers under pristine white sand. There were groups of teenagers who were wading in the shore, splashing each other, while the adults mostly chilled in the row of nipa huts a few feet away from the shoreline, while supervising their children. Relena's face brightened at the sight and sounds. Laughter filled the whole area.

"Yo, Princess!" Duo called out as they reached the eatery, which was made of wood, had open walls and a huge canopy overhead.

"Good morning, you guys," Relena answered, eyeing the plates of bacons, eggs, and bread on the table. And soup. And coffee. "I can't believe you left me. I mean, us."

"Sorry about that, but you were so knocked out, we didn't have the heart to wake you," Quatre chuckled, who was at the head of the table, his elbows resting on the table and his hands held a cup of coffee.

"And we actually didn't leave Heero. He stayed by choice, of course." Hilde grinned, twirling her fork on a strip of bacon as she looked at Heero and Relena back and forth.

"I'm gonna get food," Heero announced as he made a beeline for the set of tables on the other side of the eatery. Relena followed a second later as their friends' cheerful laughter resonated in the area.

"Okay, so what to do first? We've got a whole day ahead of us!" Duo asked, stretching his arms over his head as they were exiting the eatery a couple of minutes later.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Quatre motioned to the ocean.

Duo faced Quatre, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Heck yeah! Race you there?"

In a second the two half-naked former Gundam pilots raced towards the ocean, swiftly avoiding colliding with people in the process. Heero muttered an, "Idiots", under his breath while Relena and Hilde laughed and eventually also ran towards the ocean. The Preventer agent followed suit, a smirk now on his features. Yes, this day was theirs. And they were going to make the best out of it.

* * *

~o~

The day passed by in a blur.

As soon as they reached the ocean, Duo and Quatre freestyled and raced towards one of the boats stationed a few meters away and headed back to the shore. They invited Heero for another round into the water, but the Preventer agent was adamant about not leaving the Vice Foreign Minister unprotected.

"Go," Relena encouraged, giving him a push. "You know you want to. You can't stay here babysitting me all day. I'll be fine. Hilde's with me. And Quatre's Maganacs are guarding the whole area, right?"

"You betcha," Quatre winked and adjusted his dark blue boxers.

"I agree, man. Live a little." Duo placed his hands on his hips with a haughty smirk. "Or you're just a slow swimmer compared to the God of Death?"

Relena noticed Heero's jaw tense at the challenge. That surely struck a nerve. She was surprised when he then turned to her. "Don't go too far."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Husband. We'll just stay here and ogle other hot men while you guys go at it," answered Hilde, who wrapped an arm around Relena's shoulders, and was fully aware of Heero's death glare. "Go along now," she added, unaffected also with the stare of Duo.

"Hn." Heero stretched his arms over his head and looked at the waves as they hit the shore. "It's been a while. Let's do this."

"No manhunt!" Duo declared, pointing a finger at Hilde before following Heero and Quatre who had already gone to the ocean.

As the boys raced back and forth and did their laps, Hilde and Relena waded in the ocean and cheered them on. After their race, which Heero won, they were given tangerine life vests by the lifeguard for their banana boat ride. After three rounds of being pulled as they rode the huge banana-shaped floater, as well as being thrown into the ocean, they headed back to shore.

Quatre and Heero had gotten all of them cans of sodas and laughed at seeing Duo's body buried under the sand except for his head. He had a massive smile on his reddened face, due to immense sun exposure, while Relena took several photos with Quatre's camera. Hilde also smiled at the camera even as her hands moved and continued to mould the sand into huge plump breasts on Duo's chest.

"How about we switch positions and let me do that instead?" Duo joked.

Hilde raised a brow, grabbed a handful of sand, and tossed the bunch onto his groin area.

Duo whimpered. "Holy hell, woman, not my buried _treasure_!"

A chorus of laughter followed suit. Relena, Heero, and Quatre eventually squatted beside Hilde and Duo as they asked a Maganac to take their photo.

After drinking and chatting for a while, with Duo's body still under the sand, they've all decided to ride the jet ski. They wore their tangerine vests once more and the boys each hopped onto the aquatic motorbike. Hilde, no questions asked, went to Duo and sat behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist, to which the Deathscythe pilot murmured his approval. "Hold tight, baby. Don't want you to fall," Duo exclaimed.

The last one was Relena who seriously considered hopping onto Quatre's as yesterday's events came rushing back to her and just thinking about her stupidity last night made it hard to face Heero. She was about to walk over to the Sandrock pilot, but Heero's outstretched hand stopped her.

"Come," said Heero.

Their eyes met. Relena looked for any sign of judgment in his eyes, but was disappointed at how unreadable they were.

"I won't let you fall," the Preventer added. And there, Relena saw something in his eyes, but was gone before she can place it. "Trust me."

Trusting him was a no-brainer. She always did. So she wrapped her hands around his, not letting go until she was settled behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and she wasn't sure if she just felt Heero's body tense when her cheek pressed onto his bare back. Still, he managed to instruct, "Grip my shoulders when we make a turn."

"Okay." Relena relaxed behind him and saw her friends all giving a thumbs-up. And in a second, they were off the shore. They rode parallel with each other, and then they were swerving and circling and shouting with glee.

After a few rounds, it seemed like they were then on their own for the route they wanted to take. Hilde and Duo made a left turn at some point and Relena couldn't see where it led to. Quatre was riding around a set of buoy when another jet ski joined him, which was being ridden by a blonde bombshell. Her head of security, on the other hand, made a right turn a few minutes ago and wherever he planned to go, it seemed to be a bit far because she was losing sight of Quatre already and of the other people on the beach. Where were they headed?

Relena was about to ask until Heero said, "Look to your left." She did. And there it was, a couple of feet away, a pair of slick, gray flesh emerged from the water, only to dive back down before surfacing and expelling air through the blowhole at the top of their head.

"Dolphins!" Relena bellowed. She eyed the swimming mammals until they were out of sight and Heero had finally cut off the engine.

The former Wing pilot got off the aquatic motorbike before helping her get down. Relena observed the whole area and noticed that they were in a different beach now. There were more huge rocks in this shore compared to where they stayed at, and a number of trees filled the area a couple of steps away from the shoreline. There were no commercial establishments here, nor other people. They were the only ones on the beach.

"Heero?" She turned to Heero who had removed his life vest already and was sitting cross-legged on the sand, looking at her.

Relena also removed her vest, fighting the urge to look at him because she perfectly knew and felt that his eyes were still focused on her, or probably her swim suit. She eventually sat beside him, careful not to let their skin make any contact.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," Heero turned to her. "In private."

Relena swallowed, already dreading this conversation. "Okay."

"Listen, about last night…"

"Forget about it," Relena cut him off, closing her eyes, trying to block him off her line of sight as humiliation crept over her. "I was drunk. I don't even reme-"

"I had to stop you because if it went any further than that I wouldn't be able to stop myself." Relena opened her eyes at his explanation. Her brows furrowed, there was definitely _something _there in his words.

Heero sighed. "I can't do that to you. I will never take advantage of you, especially when you're drunk."

"What I did last night…." She stalled, scooping sand mindlessly. "Why did you pull away yesterday? The sunblock…"

"For the same reason I walked out of your room last night. I wasn't trained for that kind of request. I didn't handle that well."

She replayed his words so many times in total disbelief. Could it be? Could it be that she was affecting him after all? But he still pulled away, and there was that woman…

"But you were with somebody else." Relena dared to look at her Prevent agent. "I saw you, Heero, with that woman who had her hands all over you."

"Do you have any idea how far I swam just so I can calm myself down after that stunt you made me do?" Heero ran a hand through his hair. "She happened to be around when I got out of the water."

Relena bit her lip, nervous of the possible answer to her next question,"Why was she whispering to you?"

"She gave me her room number at the hotel." Heero didn't even flinch. "I didn't go. I looked for you, you know that. But you were with _someone_." Relena didn't miss the change in his tone; it definitely wasn't his most friendly one if he tried.

"At least he didn't walk away from me." If she sounded bitter, she didn't care. His explanation didn't stow away her insecurity and temper. Just recalling another woman's hands on him, while he pulled away from _her_ made her stomach churn.

"I already told you why I had to," Heero answered.

"You said you wouldn't be able to stop yourself." Relena inched closer, her eyes demanding answers. "From what exactly?"

"Relena," Heero warned as his hands made a fist when her face was only centimeters away from his.

"It's an honest question. I'm sober this time." She touched his shoulder. "Tell me."

To hell with it. "From this." Heero's head dipped and claimed her mouth with his. His tongue traced the seam of her lips before coaxing her mouth to open for him as his hand supported her head. She whimpered – a sound that made his blood surge down. She eventually responded to him with one of her hands coming up behind his head while the other touched his jaw and proceeded to his neck. He guided her body down on the sand, their lips never breaking contact.

This. This was what he had been controlling for the longest time. Probably for all the eternity that they had been together. How can she possibly be insecure with other women? How can she be completely unaware of how _she _can make those girls pale in comparison? How can she not see that he looked only at her?

It was Heero who finally pulled away. He settled on top of her supported by his arms that were at either side of her head. They were both breathing heavily, and he looked down at her flustered skin and eyes that were the color of the ocean as they stared back at him with… wonder. It floored him.

"I see you're better at demonstrating than telling." Relena managed to say. Her heart was beating so fast she wondered if Heero can hear or feel it. Plus, her lips still tingled. She wanted to go back to what they were doing seconds before, immediately.

"Do you understand now?"

"I guess."

"No one can compare to you." Heero urged. His eyes softened for a bit; it was… tender. Relena melted at the sight. He had uttered the same words before, just after the Eve Wars. She took it as a compliment from a Preventer agent and a warrior to his Vice Foreign Minister and superior. But this time? This was… more.

Feeling queasy at how Heero was looking at her, not that she was complaining, she tried to take on a lighter tone. "Hey, were you the one who threw the ball that hit Nathan's head?"

Heero smirked and rolled off her, lying down on the sand beside her.

"That's mean, Heero."

"He's a stranger."

"So? He's nice."

"He's a _threat_."

Relena caught the double-meaning in his statement. She fought back her smile. "Are you jealous?"

"Hn." Heero abruptly pulled his body up to sit. "There's something else."

"Hm?"

Heero pulled out something from the pocket of his gym shorts. "You were picking seashells yesterday."

Relena gasped at the various seashells that he held, which were all attached to a nylon thread to form a necklace. The seashells came in different shapes, cuts, sizes, and colors. There was one with an aquamarine color, a white rectangular one, a deformed white shell with orange polkadots, a shell shaped like the shelter of a snail, et cetera.

"How…?" Relena muttered, touching the shells. Words completely deserted her.

"Last night. When I walked out of your room." Heero answered as he slid the necklace past her head onto her neck, while Relena freed her hair from the entrapment of the necklace at the back of her head.

"How do you find it?" Heero asked. A part of him nagged that he should've just bought something from the souvenir stores for her and should not have presented her with his handmade crap. She was a princess for heaven's sake. Another part of him was laughing at how nervous he was. Heero Yuy -the Perfect Soldier- nervous around a woman? That's news.

Relena smiled and said,"It's perfect."

He let out a breath he did not realize he was holding and once again he did not stop himself from kissing her as the sun set on the horizon.

* * *

~o~

When the both of them returned to the beach in the evening, their friends were already starting a bonfire in front of the house. The evening was spent with them sitting on makeshift wooden seats, holding sticks of hotdogs, marshmallows, fish, and barbeques by the fire, Duo playing songs in the guitar, and them singing along.

Later in the night when everyone had gone to bed, or toilet –since Duo drank way beyond his limit – Relena stayed outside and walked along the shore, her hair and maxi dress being blown on one side by the wind.

"It's getting cold." Relena wasn't surprised when her Prevent agent suddenly came up beside her, looking so fine with his white shirt and linen pants.

"Yeah I'll go inside in a bit," she answered, touching a seashell from her necklace. "You know? I was just thinking about 'What ifs.'"

"Hn?" Heero stood beside her when she stopped walking, and looked at the dark blue ocean which reflected the crescent moon and stars.

Relena smiled at her companion before turning her attention to the ocean. "What ifs like, what if you weren't a pilot, and I weren't a Darlian and a Peacecraft, and we have met on that beach in normal circumstances?"

Heero didn't answer for a while. For a moment, they just stood there looking at the ocean, hearing the lap of water as it hit the shore, feeling the cold of the wind, and thinking of a possible scenario of their hypothetical meeting. Finally he looked at her and said, "It'd be the same."

Relena cocked her head to the side, "What?"

"It'd be the same. I'd still track you down."

The wind was too damn cold tonight, but why did her cheeks feel so warm? "Thank you, Heero," she said, stepping closer to him. "This is the best vacation ever."

Heero wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close, while his other hand cupped her cheek as he pressed his lips against hers. "You're welcome."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Whew! Finally got this up! Now this chapter was sooo far from what I originally planned to write when I began this story. Some of the scenes that I've been thinking about for months weren't even included here, so at first I'd be disappointed with the final output. But in the end, I hope this still worked out. I'll just probably use some of my deleted scenes in future stories, haha.

So once again, hugs and kisses to you, dear reader. :) I hope you liked this summer treat. Lol I just wrote a summer fic, but it's actually the rainy season in my country now. But yeah, okay. :))))

P.S.

Song translation credits to mikachamin's blog at wordpress.


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